, 


Camera  Knowledge 


for 


The  Photoplaywright 

By  HUGH  C.  McCLUNG 


:  California 
((Regional 

y]?acility 


Camera  Knowledge 

for 

The  Photoplaywright 


HUGH  C.  MCCLUNG 


One  of  a  Series  of  Lectures  Especially 

Prepared  for  Student-Members 

of  The  Calmer  'Plan 


PALMER  PHOTOPLAY  CORPORATION 

DEPARTMENT  OF  EDUCATION 
LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA 


C»ffright)T<)2O,Palmtr  Photoplay  Cerforutien,  Lti  slngtltf,  Califtrnia 
Ml  Right,  R,,,rv,d 


HUGH  C.  MCCLUNG 

HUGH  C.  McCLUNG  is  one  of  the  more  thoughtful  and 
progressive  class  of  cinematographers.  In  early  life  an 
enthusiastic  amateur  photographer,  Mr.  McClung  became 
a  newspaper  expert  'with  the  camera  and  finally  took  up  motion 
photography,  starting  with  the  old  Melies  Company,  one  of  the 
pioneer  organizations  in  the  making  of  motion  pictures.  Mr. 
McClung  later  became  identified  with  the  St.  Louis  Motion  Pic- 
ture Company,  Fine  Arts,  William  Fox,  Triangle,  Douglas  Fair- 
banks, Famous  Players-Lasky,  D.  N.  Schwab  Productions,  Inc., 
and  other  well-known  companies.  He  photographed  "The  Won- 
derful  Schools  of  Los  Angeles"  and  exhibited  the  film  at  the 
Panama  Pacific  Exposition  at  San  Francisco,  winning  first  prize. 
Mr.  McClung  has  not  been  satisfied  merely  to  accupy  himself 
with  the  daily  routine  of  turning  the  crank  of  a  motion  picture 
camera,  but  has  experimented  and  studied,  and  several  important 
discoveries  and  inventions  are  credited  to  him  as  a  result. 


SRLF 


1 .  Intimate  knowledge  of  the  camera  is  not  essential 
to  the  progress  and  success  of  the  photoplaywright  as  far 
as  the  actual  craft  of  evolving  situations,  plots  and  com- 
pleted stories  is  concerned,  yet  every  screen  writer  should 
be  sufficiently  familiar  with  the  work  of  the  camera  man 
to  talk  and  think  intelligently  on  the  subject. 

2.  The  camera  is  at  one  and  the  same  time  a  mechan- 
ical and  an  artistic  utility;  it  is  to  the  director  of  photo- 
plays what  the  brushes,  paint  and  palette  are  to  the  painter. 
In  the  Handbook,  Mr.  Palmer  has  explained  that  the 
photoplay  is  .screen  drama.     In  the  case  of  the  speaking 
stage,  the  audience  witnesses  the  action  of  the  play  as  it 
is  presented  by  the  living  actors.    While  a  play  is  running 
in  one  city,  the  rest  of  the  world  must  needs  wait.    The 
photoplay  is  a  product  of  modernity,  and  unlimited  dupli- 
cation of  positive  prints  derived  from  the  original  negative 
permits  the  simultaneous  presentation  of  a  screen  drama 
in   innumerable  places.     The  camera  and  the  cinema- 
tographer  form  the  unit  that  makes  it  possible  to  record 
and  duplicate  the  dramatic  or  comedic  action  that  is  em- 
bodied in  a  screen  production. 

Camera  and  Printing  Press. 

3.  Looking  upon  the  camera  purely  as  a  mechanical 
device,  it  may  be  regarded  in  relation  to  the  production  of 
photoplays  much  as  the  printing  press  is  in  the  publication 
of  books  and  magazines.    The  novelist  need  never  even 
see  a  printing  press  nor  know  anything  of  its  mechanical 
construction.    After  shaping  the  story  in  his  mind  he  may 
dictate  it  to  a  stenographer,  and  when  the  final  draft  is 
complete,  give  it  no  further  thought  until  the  finished 
volume  is  placed  in  his  hands. 

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4.  Following  this  line  of  reasoning,  the  photoplay- 
wright  need  not  be  concerned  with  his  story  from  the  time 
he  submits  the  manuscript  until  he  sees  the  screen  pre- 
sentation.   The   cases   are   not  quite   parallel,   however, 
The  novelist  tells  his  story  in  words  and  phrases,  and  the 
printing  press  is  merely  a  means  of  duplication,  for  the 
finished  volume  still  consists  of  words  and  phrases.    The 
photoplaywright  sets  his  story  down  in  words,  descriptive 
of  action,  and  the  camera  translates  the  action  into  pic- 
tures.   It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that  the  photoplaywright 
must  constantly  think  in  pictures.     And  for  this  reason, 
familiarity  with  the  camera  is  exceedingly  useful. 

5.  It  is  an  excellent  idea  for  each  sincere  student  of 
photoplaywriting  to  possess  a  camera,  even  though  it  be 
of  the  smallest  pocket  variety.     Its  use  will  materialfy 
assist  in  developing  the  habit  of  visualization,  which  is 
indispensable  to  the  screen  writer. 

6.  In  his  lecture  dealing  with  picture  values  from 
an  artist's  viewpoint,  Mr.  Wagner  deftly  dealt  with  the 
limitations  and  possibilities  of  motion  photography,  and  I 
shall  confine  myself  to  intimate  details  of  the  cinema- 
tographer's  daily  work. 

Importance  of  the  Camera  Man. 

7.  Many  who  are  not  acquainted  with  studio  details 
seem  to  assume  that  the  camera  man  needs  only  to  be 
equipped  with  the  ability  to  focus  and  turn  the  little 
crank  that  winds  the  film  past  the  lens.     It  is  true  that 
these  requirements  have  sufficed  many  times  in  the  past, 
but  the  photoplay  of  today  and  tomorrow  must  be  con- 
sidered as  an  artistic  entity,  and  the  camera  man  must  be 
collaborator  with  the  director  in  translating  the  original 
ideas  of  the  author  to  the  screen.    That  the  producer  has 
fully  realized  this  fact  is  proven  by  the  increasing  custom 
of  giving  the  cinematographer  full  screen  credit  for  his 
work. 

8.  As  an  example  of  the  lack  of  information  on  the 
part  of  the  laity  regarding  the  requirements  of  a  camera 
man,  may  I  be  excused  for  relating  a  personal  incident? 


Not  long  ago  we  were  engaged  in  making  a  series  of 
scenes  in  an  interior  on  an  open  stage  and  our  work  was 
followed  with  interest  by  several  spectators.  When  we 
had  finished  one  sequence  and  were  waiting  for  a  change 
of  costume,  one  of  the  spectators  stepped  over  in  front  of 
me.  The  following  conversation  ensued: 

"What  do  they  pay  in  your  line  of  work?" 

"Oh,  from  $75  to  $300  a  week." 

"You  mean  per  month." 

"No,  I  mean  per  week." 

"Gee,  I'd  like  to  get  a  job  here  taking  pictures.  Any 
chance?" 

"What  experience  have  you  had?" 

"Oh,  lots." 

"On  the  camera?" 

"N—  n—  no." 

"Been  an  assistant  to  a  camera  man?" 


n—  no." 


"Have  you  had  any  laboratory  experience?" 
"I—  I—  can't  say  I  have." 

"Have  you  a  kodak  and  do  you  do  your  own  work?" 
"Not  yet.    Do  you  have  to  know  all  these  things  just 
to  stand  there  and  turn  that  handle?" 

9.  Had  time  permitted  I  fear  I  should  have  related 
to  him  the  famous  story  of  Whistler  and  a  similar  pest 
who,  on  asking  the  great  painter  with  what  he  mixed 
his  paints  to  get  such  beautiful   results,  was  answered 
brusquely,  "With  brains!" 

Some  Interesting  Details. 

10.  In  viewing  a  picture  replete  with  thrills,  you 
have  swayed  to  one  side  to  avoid  an  automobile  or  given 
an  exclamation  at  the  near  approach  of  an  express  train 
rushing  head  on,  or  you  have  "ducked"  to  escape  the  aero- 
plane which  apparently  swept  right  out  into  the  audience. 
During  all  this  you  were  sitting  in  a  comfortable  chair  — 
where  do  you  think  the  camera  man  was?    True,  this  is 
the  spice  and  not  the  regular  diet  of  a  cinematographer's 

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life,  but,  notwithstanding,  there  is  hardly  a  day  that  passes 
in  our  lives  in  which  there  is  not  more  or  less  risk. 

11.  What  is  the  first  requisite  of  a  good  camera 
man?     Technical  ability,  for  without  this  he  could  not 
accomplish  anything.    It  seems  hardly  necessary  to  speak 
of  concentration,  for  in  this  business,  more  than  in  almost 
any  other,  it  is  a  most  important  qualification.    The  lack 
of  it  sometimes  leads  to  amusing  incidents. 

12.  Such  a  one  occurred  during  the  filming  of  the 
blowing  up  of  a  cabin.    A  big  charge  of  powder  had  been 
placed  and  beams  run  in  every  direction,  so  that  when 
the  charge  was  exploded  it  would  completely  demolish 
the  house.     Two  cameras  were  used  to  photograph  this 
to   forestall   any  failure.     One  was  placed  on   a  large 
covered  'truck  about  75  feet  from  the  cabin,  the  other  on 
the  ground  about  35  feet  away,  the  latter  working  for  a 
closer  view.     The  *Graflex  man  was  on  hand,  too,  and 
when  the  word  was  given,  the  cameras  started,  then  the 
signal  was  given  to  the  powder-monkey,  who  exerted  all 
his  strength  with  an  old-fashioned  friction  battery,  but  to 
no  avail,  owing,  no  doubt,  to  faulty  contact.    After  six 
fruitless  attempts,  the  seventh  was  conspicuously  success- 
ful, but — the  suspense  had  affected  everybody's  nerves  to 
such  an  extent  that  the  Graflex  man,  who  had  withdrawn 
his  slides  the  first  six  times,  failed  to  do  so  on  the  seventh, 
"and  so  lost  the  shot,  while  the  camera  man  on  the  truck, 
who  had  been  wrought  up  to  a  painful  pitch  by  the  sus-- 
pense,  stopped  his  camera  as  the  explosion  occurred. 

13.  Are  technical  skill  and  concentration  all  the 
qualities  that  are  needful?     No;  the  came/a  man  must 
have  speed,  judgment,   diplomacy,   patience,   ingenuity, 
resourcefulness  and  courage.     This  seems  a  formidable 
list,  but  let  us  take  each. quality  by  itself  and  see  if  the 
following  incidents  will  not  bear  out  my  assertion. 

Speed. 

14.  The  greatest  necessity  for  speed  is  illustrated  in 
the  gathering  of  events  of  importance  for  the  pictorial 

*Operator   of   a   Graflex,   or   speed   camera,   who  makes   "still"   pictures  of 
important  scenes. 


news  weeklies — fires,  accidents,  etc.,  but  speed  is  equally 
as  necessary  in  dramatic  work. 

15.  A  great  dramatic  star  who  had  been  before  the 
camera  for  years  once  said  to  a  friend,  indicating  a  very 
capable  and  efficient  cinematographer  who  had  only  re- 
cently joined  his  forces:    "There  is  the  best  camera  man 
I  have  ever  met  in  the  business.     Do  you  know  why? 
Because,  when  we  have  finally  rehearsed  a  dramatic  scene 
and  the  director  says,  Go,  we  go!    Naturally,  we  do  better 
work  while  the  spell  of  the  emotion  is  on  us,  but  if  we 
are  compelled  to  wait  until  the  camera  man  gets  his 
focus,  or  attends  to  a  dozen  other  things  which  should 
have  been  done  during  rehearsal,  the  spell  is  broken  and 
we  go  on  the  scene  cold.    We  went  down  town  yesterday 
for  an  important  street  scene,  and  that  fellow  casually 
looked  over  his  set-up.     While  the  director  was  quietly 
giving  us  instructions  as  to  the  scene,  so  as  not  to  attract 
attention,  the  camera  man  had  set  up  his  camera  in  a 
little  alley,  hidden  by  an  automobile,  focused  it,  set  his 
exposure,  and,  when  the  director  gave  the  signal,  picked 
up  his  outfit,  came  rushing  out  to  the  corner,  set  up  and 
began  operating  at  once,  enabling  us  to  get  this  scene 
before  any  one  on  the  street  realized  what  we  were  doing. 
That's  what  I  call  speed!" 

16.  Instances   of   speed,   although   along   different 
lines,   occurred  at  a  world's  championship   prize  fight 
several  years  ago.    The  film  had  been  shipped  on  ahead, 
but  was  delayed  in  transit,  arriving  just  IS  minutes  before 
the  beginning  of  the  fight. 

J  7.  The  quarters  were  several  .miles  from  the  station, 
and,  with  three  cameras  set  up  and  only  one  magazine 
loaded  with  all  the  film  we  had  (400  feet) ,  things  looked 
desperate.  They  looked  even  more  so  when  the  referee 
was  giving  the  fighters  their  final  instructions.  The  gong 
sounded  and  the  fight  began,  with  still  no  sign  of  the 
racing  car  which  had  been  sent  to  receive  the  film  as  the 
train  rolled  in. 

18.  Round  one  ended.  One  hundred  and  eighty 
feet  gone!  Round  two  began  and  the  tension  had  reached 


breaking  point,  when  the  racing  car  rolled  up  in  a  cloud 
of  dust.  The  boxes  of  film  were  literally  thrown  to  the 
second  camera  man,  who  dived  into  the  tent  darkroom, 
where  the  empty  magazines  had  been  opened  ready  for 
reloading. 

19.  Round  two  ended.     Three  hundred  and  sixty 
feet  gone !    This  finished  camera  number  one.    The  second 
camera  man  rushed  madly  up  the  steps  of  the  camera 
platform  with  a  loaded  magazine,  and  by  the  time  the 
gong  rang  for  round  three  camera  number  two  was  in 
operation — and  the  day  was  saved. 

Judgment. 

20.  Hand  in  hand  with  the  quality  of  speed  must  go 
good  judgment,  for  often  the  question  of  life  or  death 
hangs  on  the  turn  of  a  second..   For  the  purpose  of  getting 
a  scene  of  a  passenger  train  a  camera  man  set  up  on  the 
railroad  track,  after  ascertaining  that  the  local  would  pass 
that  point  in  twenty  minutes.    Unknown  to  him,  the  local 
was  delayed  and  was  sidetracked  several  stations  above  to 
let  the  limited  through.  At  the  rumble  of  the  approaching 
train   he   started   operating   his   camera.    As    the    train 
swung  into  view  around  the  curve,  he  got  a  thrilling  scene 
of  the  onrushing  train,  sidestepping  it  with  his  outfit  just 
in  time.     Had  he  depended  on  the  information  that  this 
was  the  local,  instead  of  using  his  good  judgment  as  to 
the  speed  of  the  train,  he  would  have  lost  his  life.    Equally 
exact  calculations  must  be  made  in  the  cases  of  bucking 
horses,  racing  automobiles  and  aeroplanes  in  action. 

Diplomacy. 

21.  An  incident  in  a  somewhat  lighter  vein  will 
illustrate  the  value  of  diplomacy  to  the  cinematographer. 
An  educational  institution  wished  a  film  made  illustrat- 
ing the  entire  scope  of  its  activities.    A  certain  amount  of 
money  had  been  set  aside  and  each  department  was  alotted 
equal  footage.    When  the  picture  was  near  completion  a 
difficulty  was  encountered  in  the  person  of  a  determined 
lady  who  insisted  that  not  a  single  detail  of  her  department 
should  be  left  out.     In  figuring  out  footage  for  what  she 


wanted  taken,  it  amounted  to  over  three-fourths  of  the 
entire  production,  and  was,  of  course,  out  of  the  question. 

22.  After  trying  to  reason  with  her,  and  explaining 
the  matter  fully,  the  director  appealed  to  the  principal. 
No  amount  of  argument  would  convince  her,  and  the  prin- 
cipal ended  by  reminding  her  that  no  more  money  was 
available  for  all  this  extra  footage.     Both  director  and 
principal  walked  away  in  disgust,  leaving  the  camera  man 
to  be  the  goat.  He  smilingly  asked  her  to  arrange  the  three 
things  which,  in  his  mind,  best  illustrated  the  work  of  her 
department.    These  were  properly  photographed,  then  a 
new  magazine  was  placed  on  the  camera  without  the  film 
being  threaded  up.     After  getting,  as  she  supposed,  all 
she  had  asked  for  (the  footage  dial  showing  2,700  feet 
when  her  entire  allotment  was  300),  she  was  profuse  in 
her  thanks,  and  what  she  said  about  the  others  I  will 
refrain  from  mentioning. 

Patience. 

"Patience  is  a  virtue, 

Catch  it  if  you  can ; 
It  is  seldom  in  a  woman, 

And  never  in  a  man." 

23.  To  disprove  the  assertion  contained  in  the  above- 
quoted  "pome"  it  is  only  necessary  to  mention  the  many 
occasions  on  which  the  camera  man  is  required  to  handle 
children   and  animals.     The  director  usually  delegates 
this  character  of  work  to  him,  and  it  sometimes  takes  hours 
of  patient  work  and  waiting  to  secure  a  three-foot  scene 
which  is  absolutely  essential  to  the  story. 

24.  After  a  trying  day,  a  library  set  was  finished  at 
10:30  that  evening,  and,  as  the  order  to  dismiss  was  given, 
the  director  said  to  the  camera  man,  "This  set  is  finished, 
there  will  be  only  one  other  scene  needed  here — that  of 
the  little  dog  barking.    Get  it  tonight,  it  will  take  you  only 
a  few  minutes,  and  then  we'll  be  through  with  the  set." 

25.  The  dog  in  question  was  a  Japanese  poodle, 
whose  lack  of  gray  matter  was  appalling.    Property  man, 
grips,  electrician,  assistant  and  camera  man  tried  every 


plan  they  could  think  of  to  induce  this  mutt  to  bark. 
After  a  time  the  bunch  warmed  to  the  work,  and  every 
conceivable  sound  was  tried,  but  to  no  purpose.  One  man 
even  brought  in  a  stray  dog,  another  a  cat  he  had  rounded 
up,  and,  last  of  all,  one  of  the  property  men  produced 
something  on  wheels,  all  covered  up.  He  brought  it  up 
very  close  to  the  poodle,  with  a  grand  flourish  and  a  wild 
roar  pulled  the  covering  off,  exposing  a  stuffed  lion.  The 
poodle's  eyes  nearly  came  out  of  his  head — but  nary  a 
bark. 

26.  About  3  a.  m.,  some  one  suggested  getting  a 
piece  of  meat — but  where?    A  hasty  search  revealed  a 
small  piece  left  in  the  electrician's  lunch  box,  and,  after 
dangling  it  in  front  of  the  poodle,  it  was  finally  rubbed 
on  his  nose  with  the  result  that  he  opened  his  mouth. 
The  camera  man  hastened  to  get  it;  everybody  agreed  that 
it  looked  just  like  a  bark  and  decided  that  their  day's 
work  was  finished.     All  were  sworn  to  secrecy  until  it 
was  viewed  on  the  screen.    The  director,  after  seeing  it 
run,  pronounced  it  just  what  he  wanted,  and  it  was  not 
until  some  time  afterward  that  he  was  told  the  truth 
about  it. 

27.  Then  there  is  the  stop-motion  work,  where  each 
picture  is  taken  separately  with  a  single  turn  of  the  crank 
and  then  the  article  or  subject  moved  to  the  next  position 
for  the  following  picture,  and  so  on  down  the  line.    When 
you  consider  that  from  12,000  to  13,000  pictures  are  re- 
quired to  complete  a  one-reel  subject,  you  will  get  some 
idea  of  what  patience  means  in  a  cinematographer's  life. 

Ingenuity. 

28.  Several  years  ago,  when  equipment  was  not  as 
easy  to  get  as  it  is  now,  one  company  had  several  releases 
to  meet,  with  only  one  camera  in  their  equipment.    Every 
effort  was  made  to  purchase  others,  but  without  results. 
A  well-known  camera  man,  in  applying  to  this  firm  for  a 
position,  was  told  that  if  he  could  supply  his  own  camera, 
or  tell  them  where  one  could  be  purchased,  they  would 
take  him  on  at  once.    When  the  discovery  was  made  that 

10 


no  camera  was  to  be  had,  this  camera  man  built  a  box  in 
in  which  he  placed  an  old  projection  machine  head  for 
the  mechanism,  and  mounting  his  own  lens  in  this  home- 
made contraption,  he  photographed  ^two  very  beautiful 
pictures. 

29.  Another  example:    While  on  location,  another 
camera  man  was  called  upon  to  photograph  the  closing 
scenes  of  the  picture  with  a  beautiful  sunset  effect  as  a 
background.    With  no  ray  filter  available,  he  improvised 
one  by  removing  the  amber  glass  from  a  pair  of  auto- 
mobile goggles,  and  the  results  obtained  left  nothing  to  be 
desired. 

Resourcefulness. 

30.  What  does  it  mean  to  be  resourceful?    It  means 
to  be  full  of  resources,  expedients  or  contrivances ;  clever 
in  finding  out  resources.     It  means  searching  the  inner- 
most recesses  of  your  mind  to  find  a  way  out.    During  the 
filming  of  a  feature  picture,  in  which  a  number  of  scenes 
were  laid  on  a  Chinese  junk  (which  had  to  be  built  at 
great  expense),  an  accident  occurred  which  came  near 
spoiling  the  entire  production.     After  securing  all  the 
scenes  on  the  deck  of  the  junk,  the  camera  man  took  up  a 
location  on  the  breakwater  to  photograph  the  sinking  of 
the  vessel.     As  had  been  planned,  the  vessel  was  to  be 
scuttled,  entrapping  a  number  of  Chinese  who  were  sup- 
posedly locked  in  the  hold.    Contrary  to  all  plans  of  the 
boat  builders,  she  didn't  scuttle,  but  turned  over  on  her 
side,  exposing  the  superstructure  or  shell,  but  just  as  she 
began  to  turn  the  center  portion  of  the  false  bottom  opened 
up  and  the  scene  was  absolutely  a  total  failure. 

31.  To  have  retaken  this  one  scene  alone  would  have 
cost  thousands  of  dollars,  and  the  gloom  that  settled  on 
the  crowd  was  repeatedly  punctured  by  the  sulphuric  ex- 
plosions of  the  director.    On  the  return  home  the  camera 
man,  who  had  been  cudgeling  his  brains  for  a  way  out, 
made  the  suggestion  that  when  the  interior  of  the  junk  was 
to  be  made  (which  had  to  be  done  at  the  studio  in  an 
enormous  tank  of  water),  the  villain,  instead  of  boring 
the  holes  to  scuttle  the  ship,  be  made  to  place  dynamite 

11 


underneath  the  floor,  as  this  explosive  blows  down  instead 
of  up,  and  the  cut  could  be  made  on  the  junk  just  as  the 
false  bottom  was  shown  leaving  the  ship.  By  the  slow, 
relieved  smile  that  overspread  the  director's  face  it  was 
easy  to  see  that  the  suggestion  had  saved  the  situation,  and 
his  words  of  appreciation  were,  "By  ginger,  old  top,  you're 
almost  human!" 

Courage. 

32.  How  would  you  like  to  put  on  a  life  belt  and  be 
lowered  down  the  side  of  a  cliff  to  get  a  scene?    Or  with 
tripod  and  camera  lashed  on  the  hood  of  an  automobile 
driven  at  60  miles  an  hour  by  an  inexperienced  driver? 
Or,  with  hardly  foot-room  in  which  to  balance  yourself, 
climb  around  a  sky-scraper  for  special  scenes?    Or  "ride 
the  rods  under  a  box  car,  photographing  the  "tramp"  on 
the  brakebeam  with  the  train  doing  40  miles  an  hour? 
Or  be  strapped  in  an  aeroplane  with  the  pilot  executing 
every  fancy  stunt  he  knows?  These,  and  many  other  risks, 
are  among  the  things  a  camera  man  may  be  called  upon 
any  day  to  do. 

33.  Granted,  now,  that  your  camera  man  has  tech- 
nical skill,   concentration,  speed,  judgment,   diplomacy, 
patience,  ingenuity,   resourcefulness,  and  courage.     Are 
these  all  the  qualities  he  needs?    No,  and  this  last  require- 
ment of  all  is  one  which  is  beyond  mere  knowledge  and 
skill.    It  is  the  power  to  give  expression  in  his  work  to  the 
imagination  and  emotion  that  is  in  him — it  is  a  creative 
faculty  which  is  the  spontaneous  outpouring  of  his  inner, 
spiritual  self.    This  is  what  it  means  to  be  an  artist. 

34.  You  mav  take  exception  to  the  word  artist  used 
in  connection  with  cinematography.     I  say  emphatically 
that  this  is  the  right  term  to  use.  The  painter  with  his  can- 
vas, brushes  and  oils,  creates  a  picture,  using  every  color 
of  the  spectrum  to"  heighten  the  effect,  the  outcome  being 
great  or  mediocre,  according  to  the  soul  of  the  artist.    The 
sculptor  with  his  tools,  chiseling  out  the  block  of  marble, 
creates  his  figure  or  figures  in  graceful  proportions  and 
poses,  giving  us  a  finished  result  that  is  a  lasting  joy  to 
lovers  of  beauty. 


35.  For  centuries  multitudes  have  gathered  about  the 
works  of  these  masters,  uplifted  and  inspired.  We  of 
today  are  modeling  with  lights  and  shadows,  giving  you 
not  only  beautiful  composition,  perspective,  atmosphere 
and  settings,  but  we  make  each  picture  a  living,  breathing 
example  of  the  cinematographer's  art. 

Debts  to  Photography. 

36.  Hardly  a  branch  of  art  or  science  but  owes  a 
debt  to  photography.     Drawing  and  painting  have  been 
greatly  influenced  by  it,  astronomy  has  been  enriched  by 
it,  the  meteorologist,  the  physiologist,  the  pathologist,  the 
scholar,  the  traveler,  not  to  mention  the  Army  and  Navy, 
find  it  indispensable.     Every  day  its  importance   as  a 
spreader  of  valuable  knowledge  is  emphasized  and  as  a 
means  of  entertainment  it  has  no  rival,  as  can  be  proved  by 
the    unexampled    growth    of    moving    picture    theaters 
throughout  the  country. 

37.  The  study  of  the  history  of  photography,  from 
its  very  beginning  to  the  present  time,  is  one  of  such  great 
interest  that  it  should  be  the  pleasure  of  every  one  with  a 
liking  for  the  subject,  be  he  amateur,  professional  portrait- 
ist or  cinematographer,  to  trace  its  development  through 
the  last  four  or  five  centuries  to  the  point  where  it  has 
become  one  of  the  greatest  factors  in  modern  education. 

38.  Not  alone  should  the  study  be  taken  up  for  the 
pleasure  of  learning  of  each  successive  step  in  the  investi- 
gations of  those  earlier  workers,  but  for  the  inspiration 
which  thrills  one  in  reading  of  the  patient  plodding,  day 
after  day,  of  those  earnest  men  who  were  constantly  experi- 
menting, faithful  always  to  the  one  great  work  through 
deep    discouragement   and    apparent   failure — and   then 
success.     Surely  the  old  adage,  "If  you  don't  at  first  suc- 
ceed, try,  try  again,"  never  had  a  more  apt  illustration. 

39.  Let  us  touch  here  on  a  few  of  the  most  important 
discoveries  and  mention  some  of  the  names  of  those  to 
whom  the  whole  world  owes  it  gratitude.    The  idea  which 
led  to  the  development  of  the  camera  was  known  at  the 
beginning  of  the  fourteenth  century.    This  was  that  it  was 
possible  on  a  sunny  day  to  project  the  image  of  outside 

13 


objects  through  a  small  hole  in  to  a  darkened  room.  This 
idea  was  used  as  the  basis  for  the  camera  obscura  (Latin, 
dark  chamber) ,  which  was  a  box  from  which  all  light  was 
excluded  except  that  entering  though  a  small  hole  in  the 
front,  an  inverted  image  of  the  object  appearing  on  a 
movable  semi-transparent  screen. 

Origin  of  Camera  Obscura. 

40.  The  origin  of  the  camera  obscura  has  not  been 
fixed  with  any  certainty,  some  attributing  it  to  Leonardo 
da  Vinci,  others  to  Baptista  Porta.    What  seems  probable 
is  that  the  principles  governing  this  instrument,  which  had 
been  understood  for  more  than  a  century,  were  applied  to 
its  construction  by  Da  Vinci  in  the  sixteenth  century,  and 
about  1558  Porta  effected  a  considerable  improvement  on 
its  orginal  form. 

41.  It  was  found  that  by  placing  a  piece  of  glass  in 
the  hole  in  front  a  sharper  and  more  brilliant  image  was 
produced,  though  still  inverted.    To  show  the  image  right 
side  up,  an  inclined  mirror  was  built  into  the  box.    This 
simple  mirror  attachment  was  developed  in  more  recent 
years  into  the  Graflex  camera,  which  is  indispensable  to 
press  photography.     This  same  principle  is  used  in  the 
periscope,  an  instrument  the  great  importance  of  which  is 
well  known  today.    The  first  simple  contrivance  was  used 
solely  by  painters  in  their  work,  and  by  placing  a  thin 
piece  of  paper  over  the  screen  it  was  easy  to  trace  the  out- 
lines of  the  picture.    Most  people,  however,  regarded  the 
camera  obscura  as  a  mere  toy. 

42.  Nothing  of  any  great  value  to  photography  was 
discovered  for  nearly  three  hundred  years.    Then,  in  the 
early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century,  Niepce,  a  French- 
man, carried  on  extensive  experiments  with  the  object  of 
finding  a  sensitive  preparation  which  would  enable  him 
to  catch  the  picture  and  hold  it.     He  used  a  solution  of 
asphalt,  or  the  bitumen  of  Judea,  poured  on  a  metallic 
plate,  and  succeeded  in  getting  some  imperfect  results, 
but  could  not  make  them  permanent. 

14 


Early  Discoveries. 

43.  Daguerre,  also  a  Frenchman  and  a  scene  painter 
in  Paris,  had  become  interested  in  trying  to  fix  the  image 
of  the  camera  obscura  in  order  to  make  use  of  it  in  his 
profession.    He  became  so  enthusiastic  in  his  search  that 
he  spent  nearly  all  his  time  in  his  laboratory,  and  his  wife 
asked  herself  if  her  husband  were  going  mad.    Through 
an  optician  in  Paris  who  was  aware  of  Daguerre's  experi- 
ments, the  latter  and  Niepce  were  brought  together  and  a 
partnership  was  formed  which  continued  until  Niepce's 
death  in  1833. 

44.  Daguerre  persisted  in  his  search,  and  about  five 
years  later  made  the  discovery  that  by  sensitizing  a  silver 
plate  with  iodine  and  exposing  it  for  hours  he  could  get  a 
faint  sort  of  image  of  bright  objects.     Being  dissatisfied 
one  day  with  the  result  of  too  short  an  exposure,  he  con- 
signed the  silver  plate  to  his  closet  to  be  cleaned  the  next 
day  and  prepared  for  another  exposure.    Next  morning 
he  found  a  perfect  picture  upon  the  silver  plate!    We  can 
imagine  his  astonishment  and  delight.    At  last,  when  suc- 
cess had  seemed  so  far  away,  the  magic  thing  ha^d  come  to 
pass.    He  investigated  very  carefully  and  found  that  the 
development  had  been  effected  by  the  vapor  of  mercury, 
a  small  dish  of  which  had  been  left  uncovered  in  the  closet. 

45.  Soon  after,  that  is,  in  January,  1839,  Daguerre's 
great  discovery  was  announced.     In  that  day,  as  in  this, 
and,  in  fact,  all  other  times,  there  were  people  who  ridi- 
culed and  scoffed  at  the  new  idea,  saying  that  such  a  thing 
was  impossible,  but  Daguerre  made  good  his  claims  and 
thue  French  government  pensioned  him,  with  the  proviso 
that  this  discovery  should  be  given  to  the  world. 

46.  In  England,  Fox  Talbot  had  been  conducting 
experiments  with  the  object  of  capturing  the  image  in  the 
camera  obscura.  He  was  greatly  disappointed  at  not  being 
the  first  to  give  this  new  art  to  the  world ;  but  let  us  not 
forget  that  he  succeeded  in  reaching  a  point  not  attained 
by  Daguerre,  for  the  latter's  efforts  had  produced  a  pic- 
ture, with  the  light  and  shade  correctly  rendered,  but 

IS 


which  could  not  be  copied.  Fox  Talbot's  Calotype  proc- 
ess produced  for  the  first  time  negatives  instead  of  posi- 
tives, from  which  any  number  of  copies  could  be  made. 
This  came  to  be  called  talbotype,  in  honor  of  the  inventor. 

Chemistry  of  Photography 

47.  The  chemistry  of  photography  had  not  kept 
pace  with  the  mechanical  part.    It  had  been  found  that  the 
image  could  be  made  permanent  after  development  by 
washing  the  plates  in  a  solution  of  common  salt.    Sir  John 
Herschel,  the  great  astronomer,  suggested  that  hyposul- 
phite of  soda  was  a  better  substance  than  salt,  and  so  it 
proved.  No  better  "fixer"  has  been  discovered  and  "hypo" 
is  in  common  use  at  the  present  time. 

48.  Something  unexpected  "happened"  to  Talbot. 
He  found,  when  one  of  his  exposures  fell  into  a  solution 
of  gallic  acid,  that  the  detail  was  very  much  improved. 
Thus,  step  by  step,  more  and  more  beautiful  effects  were 
being  secured.     Special  photographic  lenses,  greatly  re- 
ducing   the    time    of    exposure,    were    now   introduced. 
Niepce's  nephew  was  the  first  to  use  glass  plates  as  a  foun- 
dation for  the  sensitive  coating;  Frederick  Scott  Archer, 
a  sculptor  of  London,  sponsored  the  wet  collodion  process ; 
Dr.  Taupenot,  in  France,  gave  to  the  world  the  first  dry 
plates,  and  so  on  through  various  steps  to  the  achievement 
of  instantaneous  photography  and  the  sensitized  film.  We 
take  all  these  things  as  a  matter  of  course;  how  little 
thought  we  give  to  the  romance  of  the  thing! 

49.  Let  us  go  back  to  the  "accidental"  discoveries  of 
Daguerre  and  Fox  Talbot.    Do  you  think  these  were  acci- 
dents?    Indeed,  no.     There  is  an  Oriental  saying  some- 
thing like  this :    "When  the  pupil  is  ready,  the  teacher  ap- 
pears."    The  minds  of  these  men,  filled  to  overflowing 
with  the  joy  of  giving  something  of  benefit  to  the  world, 
and  aflame  with  enthusiasm  in  their  work,  acted  as  power- 
ful magnets  and  attracted  to  themselves  the  knowledge 
they  needed,  even  though  that  knowledge  seemed  to  come 
as  an  accident. 

16 


Color  Photography. 

50.  The  next  in  the  development  of  photography 
would  seem  to  be  the  color  work.  The  day  is  not  far  dis- 
tant when  you  will  see  real  natural  color  photography.  By 
this  I  do  not  mean  the  horrible  examples  which  have  been 
shown  in  recent  years  under  this  designation.    The  pro- 
cess has  reached  a  stage  where  the  result  is  no  longer  in 
doubt. 

5 1 .  One  of  the  greatest  apparent  obstacles  to  the  suc- 
cess of  this  extremely  important  advance  has  been  the  lack 
of  speed  in  the  emulsion  of  both  film  and  plates.    It  should 
be  remembered  that  this  work  in  which  the  exposure  is 
made  through  color  filters,  requires  a  much  longer  time 
than  when  exposing  without  a  filter,  but  it  remained  for 
the  man  who  has  done  more  than  any  other  one  man  to 
further  the  advancement  of  photography  in  the  United 
States  to  overcome  this  great  difficulty  and  he  is  now  pre- 
paring stock  with  an  emulsion  which  works  from  20  to 
30  times  as  fast  as  the  ordinary  stock  today.    With  the  pan- 
chromatic qualities  in  this  film,  both  negative  and  posi- 
tive, we  will  have  natural  color  photography  the  equal  of 
which  has  never  been  seen  before. 

52.  Did  you  ever  stop  to  consider  what  photography 
really  is?    Your  answer,  I  know,  will  be  "Yes"  and  in  all 
good  faith,  but  do  you  realize  that  there  are  some  photo- 
graphers who,  if  they  were  asked  this  question,  would  no 
doubt  give  the  same  answej*  as  you  do,  and  that  is  that 
photography  is  the  image  of  the  object  impressed  upon  the 
sensitive   emulsion   of   the   photographic   film   or   plate, 
whereas  in  reality  it  is  the  reflected  light  from  that  object 
which  makes  the  picture.    That  is  why  dark  green,  red, 
orange,  yellow,  etc.,  photograph  black,  for  they  absorb^ 
so  much  of  the  light  that  there  is  little  or  none  to  reflect. 
For  example,  if  an  object  is  placed  in  a  room  that  is 
totally  dark,  it  will  be  impossible  for  the  eye  to  distinguish 
its  form,  but  throw  a  light  on  this  same  object  from  behind 
and  you  will  get  the  outline  but  no  detail.     Bring  your 

17 


light  around  to  one  side  and  you  get  the  reflected  light  of 
part  of  that  object,  giving  you  proportionate  detail.  By 
bringing  the  light  farther  around  in  front,  a  full  impres- 
sion is  gained  by  the  reflection  of  light. 

An  Amusing  Incident. 

53.  An  amusing  incident  occurred  on  one  of  the 
writer's  trips,  emphasizing  the  fact  that  it  is  light  reflected 
from  the  object  which  we  see,  and  not  the  object  itself. 
While  seated  on  the  hotel  veranda  at  D'Angkor,  Cam- 
bodia, one  evening,  a  Hindu  interpreter,  as  black  as  the 
ace  of  spades,  who  always  wore  a  white  duck  suit,  straw 
hat  and  white  canvas  shoes,  presented  a  weird  appearance 
as  he  walked  across  the  lawn,  about  60  feet  away.    All  that 
could  be  seen  was  the  white  duck  suit,  white  shoes  and  a 
hat  raised  about  twelve  inches  above  the  suit.    His  hands 
and  face  were  not  perceptible.     To  the  superstitious  or 
nervous  observer  he  presented  a  spectral  appearance  and 
the  consternation  he  caused  to  the  timid  was  the  source 
of  much  amusement  to  the  others.    Thus  is  exploded  the 
old  saying,  "Seeing  is  believing." 

54.  Have  you  ever  speculated  on  the  reason  actors 
and  actresses  put  on  make-up?    No!    It  is  because  some 
skins  absorb  so  much  of  the  light  that  the  little  left  that  is 
reflected  causes  them  to  photograph  very  dark,  while 
others  reflect  all  of  the  light  and  photograph  as  white  as 
chalk.     The  first  mentioned  use  a  fairly  light  make-up 
unless  they  are  playing  character  parts,  such  as  Indian, 
Mexican,  Chinaman,  etc.,  while  the  others  use  a  darker 
make-up  than  their  flesh. 

55.  A  great  mistake  that  is  constantly  made,  I  am 
sorry  to  say,  by  the  "female  of  the  species"  is  the  wrong  use 
of  the  carmine  lip  stick  and  the  powder  puff,  the  most 
awful  things  we  have  to  contend  with  in  getting  correct 
flesh  values.    I  will  admit  that  some  lips  require  a  alight 
application  of  lip  rouge,  but  it  is  a  crime  against  art  that 
so  much  is  applied  as  to  make  the  mouth  look  like  a  black 
slit  in  the  face. 

18 


"Make-Up  Hints." 

56.  I  have  never  yet  in  all  my  experience  had  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  an  ingenue  or  a  leading  woman  come 
into  a  scene  without  first  using  (or  abusing)  the  powder 
puff.  Powder,  to  be  properly  applied,  is  only  meant  to 
soften  down  the  shiny  appearance  that  the  grease  paint 
gives,  and  by  constant  application  the  flesh  tones  are  lost 
and  resultant  effect  on  the  screen  is  a  skin  of  dull,  lifeless 
appearance. 

57.  The  correct  method  of  applying  powder,  from 
the  cameraman's  standpoint,  is  to  use  just  enough  to  over- 
come the  shine  of  the  grease  paint,  then  use  a  soft  brush  to 
remove  the  surplus,  and  it  is  almost  impossible,  granting 
a  correct  exposure,  to  get  anything  but  beautiful  results. 
This  I  know  from  actual  experience  for  I  have  made  ex- 
periments along  these  lines. 

58.  In  days  gone  by,  so  many  amateur  writers  have 
depended  entirely  too  much  upon  the  mechanical  effects 
possible  with  the  camera  to  "get  over"  what  should  have 
been  made  clear  by  better  construction.    To  such  I  would 
say,  Don't  be  a  slacker  and  depend  on  us  to  put  over  some- 
thing you  have  only  partially  completed  yourself. 

59.  The  three  greatest  essentials  in  successful  pic- 
ture   making    are,    first,    the   story;   second,    the    direc- 
tion, and  third,  the  photography.     It  is  as  true  today  as 
ever  before  that  you  cannot  get  something  for  nothing  and 
I  feel  safe  in  saying  that  you  cannot  write  too  good  a 
story,  for  it  will  bring  just  what  it  is  actually  worth,  be  it 
a  hundred  dollars  or  a  hundred  thousand.     (The  last 
named  sum  is  the  reported  price  recently  paid  for  a  screen 
story.) 

60.  Perhaps  a  few  words  about  the  inner  workings 
of  the  laboratory  may  not  come  amiss.    The  negative  film 
which  has  been  exposed  in  the  camera  is  turned  in  each 
evening  to  the  laboratory  after  having  been  removed  from 
the  mazazines,  wrapped  in  black  paper  and  transferred 
to  cans.  These  cans  are  sealed  with  tape  and  a  label  pasted 
on,  giving  such  information  as  will  enable  the  developer 

19 


to  get  best  results,  markings  reading  somewhat  as  follows : 
Exterior — beach  scene:  Exterior — aeroplane;  Exterior — 
desert,  long  range,  develop  for  scenic  effect;  Exterior — 
camp  fire,  night  scene,  develop  for  faces  only;  Interior — 
ball  room,  develop  for  full  set;  Interior — bedroom,  light 
effect,  develop  for  faces  only,  etc. 

61.  The  cans  are  collected  by  the  negative  devel- 
oper's assistants,  taken  into  negative  room  (which  is,  of 
course,  dark) ,  and  the  film  wound  on  racks.    These  racks 
hold  from  190  to  210  feet.    They  are  then  placed  in  the 
developing  tanks.     After  development  is  complete,  the 
racks  are  then  transferred  to  the  fixing  bath  and  from  that 
to  the  washing  tank.    The  next  step  is  the  winding  of  the 
film  on  the  large  drying  drums.    After  the  process  of  dry- 
ing is  complete  the  film  is  taken  off  in  cloth-lined  carriers, 
re-wound  from  these  in  rolls,  transferred  to  the  polishing 
room,  wound  again  on  solid  drums,  face  down,  polished, 
re-wound  in  rolls,  inspected,  and  turned  over  to  the  print- 
ing room. 

62.  Negatives  are  examined  and  timed  according  to 
density  and  sample  prints  made  therefrom  for  what  is 
termed  "the  daily  run."    This  brief  outline  will  give  you 
an  idea  of  the  many  delicate  operations  through  which  the 
film  must  pass  before  even  the  working  print  is  seen.  There 
is  a  feeling  of  great  optimism  prevading  the  ranks  of  the 
cinematographers.    Wonderful  strides  have  been  made  in 
the  last  few  years  for  at  last  photography  in  the  hands  of 
artists  is  coming  into  its  own. 


/ 


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